Ticks attacking domestic dogs in the area of the Rymanów district, Subcarpathian province, Poland.

Domestic dogs in Poland are attacked by five species of ticks. The present study shows results of research on species of ticks, their intensity and prevalence of infection in the domestic dogs in the district of Rymanów (Subcarpathian province, Poland). Local research was conducted from 25 August 2005 to 27 October 2006 on 82 randomly selected dogs in the veterinarian centre in Rymanów. Collected ticks were put into tubes with 70% ethyl alcohol. Collected and full up ticks were examined straight after being taken out of the preserving liquid. Stereoscopic microscope for species identification was used. The study revealed that domestic dogs in the Rymanów district are hosts for two species of ticks from the Ixodidae family: Ixodes (Ixodes) ricinus (Linnaeus, 1758) and Ixodes (Pholeoixodes) hexagonus Leach, 1815. Only one dog was infected with both tick species simultaneously. The dogs were attacked mainly by females. Ticks usually attached to such places as the neck, ear conches or groin. In general, the prevalence of ticks infestation on domestic dogs was 48.78%; I. ricinus prevalence was 47.56%, whereas I. hexagonus--2.43%. On the basis of obtained results it can be claimed that I. ricinus is more prevalent in the Rymanów district than I. hexagonus, therefore the domestic dogs are more frequently attacked by this species of ticks.